Mechanical chart



' l. B. ALEY.

MECHANICAL CHART.

4 APPLICATION FILED SEPT.27, 191s. RENEWED 1m. 29, 1920. 1,335,708.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

A TTORNE Y JACOB B. .ALEY, OF SPOKANE, VTASHI'NGTON.

MECHANICAL CHART.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

' Application filed September 27,1916, Serial No. 122,580. Renewed January 29, 1920. Serial No. 354,876.

To (132 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB B. Anny, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Mechanical Chart, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in charts on which are displayed numbers, letters and other characters, words, sentences, etc., for instruction or information; and the objects of my invention are to provide a mechanism that will contain the charts in a compact form, and that will permit of a great many changes to be made in the charts as they appear to the observer.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front view of my device showing a chart as displayed in its normal position. Fig. 2 is a side view showing operatin mechanism. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 33, Fig. 1. Fig. 4: shows detail of construction of revolving parts. Fig. 5 shows plan view of collar around shaft.

Similar characters refer to similar parts throiwhout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, 1 is a casing in which revolubly mounted spindles 2, 3 and 4, the ends of which on one side extend through the casing, each of which may be revolved singly by hand, or preferably provided with cog wheels 5, 6 and 7. To give the same motion to all the spindles, cog wheels 8 and 9 are revolubly mounted on the case 1 to mesh with wheels 5 and 6 and 6 and 7 respectively. A crank handle 10 is mounted on the outer end of one of the spindles. On the spindles 2, 3 and 1 collars 11 are preferably mounted, to which are pivotally fastened plates or leaves 12. The distance between the spindles 2, 3 and 4: preferably is such that the plates 12 will lap and interleave, for the purpose hereinafter stated. To limit the surfa e of the chart exposed to view, spring curtains 13 and 14 may be provided, 13 being drawn downward, and 14: to one side. The plates 12 may be placed in rows parallel with the axis of the spindle,

or irregularly out of alinement, whi hever may be preferred. In the construction herein shown, the plates 12 are placed in rows parallel with each other and the axis of the spindle.

'hold the latter leaves upright.

It will be seen that on revolving the crank handle 10 backward each of the spindles 2, 3 and at will revolve forward, which causes the'plates 12 to drop over from the top. It will also be noticed in Fig. 3 that just before the plates 12 are released by the overlapping plates above, or by the stops 15 which hold the plates on the upper spindle 2, the plates about to fall and the plates which have just fallen are in a straight line and present a flat surface exposed to the view, presenting the front surface of the pendant plates and the back surface. of the upright plates. Thus both surfaces can be used on which to inscribe characters. To illustrate one use of these surfaces so exposed, figures are inscribed on the plates 12, which appear arranged in vertical and horizontal rows, presenting a problem in addition. Upon turning the crank handle, another problem is presented, and so on. If preferred, instead of separate transverse rows of plates, one transverse plate may be used. This is preferable when displaying words or sentences.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A device of the class described, consisting of spindles revolubly mounted in vertical alinement, leaves or plates pivotally mounted at intervals upon the circumference thereof, the spindles being spaced apart so that the leaves of opposite spindles will lap.

2. A device of the class described, consisting of spindles spaced apart in vertical alinement, leaves or plates pivotally mounted upon the circumference thereof in rows in horizontal and vertical alinement, the spindles being spaced apart to permit the leaves of opposite spindles to slightly lap, a stop against which the ends of the leaves on the upper spindle abut, and means to revolve the spindles.

3. In a device of the type set forth, an upper and a lower rotatable element, leaves pivoted to each element, and means for mounting the elements so that the rear faces of the pendant leaves of the upper element will engage the front faces of the upwardly extending leaves of the lower element and 4. In a device of the type set forth, a substantially re tangular open frame, a series of horizontally and vertically alined plates exposed through the frame opening, a horizontal roller curtain at the top of the frame to conceal the horizontal rows of plates, and a vertical roller curtain at one side of the frame to conceal the vertical rows of plates.

5. In a device of the type set forth, an upper and a lower series of swingable and rotatable leaves, and means to mount both series whereby the foremost upright leaves of the lower series will be held in a vertical plane substantially parallel to the vertical plane of the foremost pendant leaves of the 10 upper series by physical contact between the leaves.

JACOB B. ALEY. Witnesses: I

W. H. MACFARLAN, R. F. 'ROGERS. 

